Monday, June 29, 2009

It saddens me to report the death of Eat Records...What was once an amazing place to hang out, drink coffee, have a nosh, and peruse through stacks of records has slowly become an Olive Garden for the ugly condo set.. Gone are the days when you could roll up, grab a cup and talk music, art and culture with the like-minded staff and fellow patrons for hours on end. Perhaps it was the introduction of tables and chairs so uncomfortable they had to have been designed to ensure minimum hang time(which I've been told is 100% accurate) or maybe it was the ousting of Douglas Pressman; the salty dawg whose legendary record hunting skills kept the shelves crammed with killer records. Thanks to founder Casey Block, Eat has been the backdrop for the formation of many friendships, musical projects, and ideas that span the globe. Mr.Block's friendly demeanor and musical knowledge assured the adventurous traveller there was always some cool live performance going down at 124 Meserole Ave. In the good old days you never noticed how shitty the coffee was as you were supporting a very unique business that was built on a foundation of love and community. That Eat Records is gone. Over the past year, the record inventory has been cut in half and the wi-fi turned off in a blatant attempt to rid the space of vibe and maximize profit for the Cafe(which is a separate entity from the record store). What remains is just another over-priced cafe in North Brooklyn hoping to capitalize on the influx of money into our neighborhood by offering miniscule renditions of trendy fare. The exorbitant prices discourage whatever struggling artists still remain in the area from dropping by leaving ample room for the nouveau riche and the disgustingly entitled to dine in sterilized bliss